


downtime

by wolframvonbielefeld (maknaeline)



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Friendships, Insecurity, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Player Character, Other, Personal story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24369148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maknaeline/pseuds/wolframvonbielefeld
Summary: A self indulgent fic-collection, non-chronological... thing for my charming NB Sylvari Ranger, who is very good at dodging spiders, enemy AOEs, projectile vomit and questions. Not rotmouths, though. Never rotmouths.Ch1: The Commander learns that Trahearne has cats. Trahearne learns that he has a friend.
Relationships: Trahearne/Player Character (Guild Wars)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	downtime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nerdanel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdanel/gifts), [webbedfeet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/webbedfeet/gifts).



> [Trahearne's cut dialogue inspired me to do this.](https://lookiamnotcreative.tumblr.com/post/187439641907/dancewiththesalads-cycleoftrahearne-so-syber) For L and C, mostly because they introduced me to this life-ruining game.

Nova cannot define her exact emotion at this point of time, but it might be something close to incredulity.

"Cats," she says. "You have cats."

"Ah, yes, of course," Trahearne replies absently, as if Nova is not attempting to question the fabric of reality. "They do not shy from contact, if you are not averse to that."

"Averse?" Nova shakes her head. Why did she even _ask_. She crouched into position to let the fat tabby sniff her finger, which promptly led to it attempting to curl against her hand. The other cats looked over in mild interest as she started to scritch his neck, realizing that he had a little nameplate. "Leo?"

"After Leo Valquez." Trahearne pauses. "It's from a historical novel. I could lend it to you?"

"Sure." Nova sits down in earnest now, letting the other cat that paws at her climb into her lap. "And Maddy?"

"Named after an acquaintance, from the Priory. They're probably neck-deep in some mine in the Shiverpeaks now, trying to dig up more Dwarven history. Said they'd have something for me, the next time we met." His eyes grow suspiciously fond, and Nova tamps down the mild panic she feels. This is _Trahearne_. He wouldn't know someone had a crush on him if they propositioned him directly. Probably?

"You've got a lot of friends," she says, and looks up at him. His eyes grow round, yellow sclera almost shining. "I met Izu Steelshrike the other day - he seems very fond of you as well. You must have traveled around a lot."

"You mean acquaintances? One does get around a lot in twenty five years." He sounds bemused, though. Nova frowns.

"No, I mean friends." She stresses the last word, and watches his eyes grow rounder. "Like Caithe - and the other Firstborn? I haven't met them all, but one day you can go back to the Grove, instead of staying here at the edge of civilization, and you can share your experiences with us. In the Dream." _Like I dreamed of you_ , she doesn't say. Probably never will, at this point, because she's more chicken than any of the actual birds in camp.

He shrugs, the foliage on his back rippling with the movement, verdant green shimmering under black. "The Grove should feel like home for me, but it doesn't. It never has. I studied necromancy for my Wyld Hunt, to fight the corruption infecting Orr. My choice didn't win me any friends - Caithe's the only one who ever seemed genuinely happy to see me."

Oh, and that one hurts. She looks down and gently buries her face in Leo's fur. Cats are good. Cats aren't stupid, like her Marshal. Does he - does he _really_ think that?"

"That's not true." She feels her failings deeply - her inability to express them as she should. Young sylvari are supposed to be free-thinking and outspoken and _good_ , and not - not like her. "They're here - they're helping you with your mission. Your eventual Wyld Hunt. You're not alone, Marshal."

Trahearne stares at her as if _she's_ the one who ripped apart the fabric of reality. "I... no. Commander."

Wow, she's made the nerd speechless too. She grins just a little, letting the third cat - Harley - climb all over her until it starts pawing at her breastplate, thwacking the other cat away from her like it's jealous. How adorable. "What?"

He seems to jerk a little at the sight, and then turns away, paging through his book again. "It's not really like that. Life and death circumstances can bring people closer together, but it hardly means they would open their homes to me, or their minds. It does not mean that they believe in my endeavors, regardless of the time we've spent with each other."

"And yet here I am," she says, before she can stop herself, and the silence that settles around them makes her squirm. Trahearne seems to have lost his voice altogether.

"Yes," he agrees, after a long time, and she can feel her veins pulse with the fact that his voice is so very quiet, even as neither of them makes a move. So full of something like _wonder._ "And here you are."

They stare at each other, and Nova can feel the heat in her ears, ringing a little - 

"Marshal Trahearne? The reports just came in from the western gate, the reconnaissance went well, sir, so if you could please - Oh. Commander." The Vigil tactician squints at her on the floor, surrounded by the cats. Her eyes grow very, very wide. She takes a step back. "I, I'll come back later! Just, reports, sir. Please, don't mind me, continue your downtime. That's all. Nothing new. Goodbye, Marshal. Commander."

The silence afterwards is even more awkward, somehow. Trahearne looks at her retreating figure, mildly puzzled. "Was it something I did?"

Nova cocks her head to the side. "She probably thinks you need the break?" They've all been doing that with the two of them, lately, every time they discuss things. She doesn't blame them - it's a little touching, how concerned they are for their mental health. "And you do."

"I do?"

"Yes," she insists. "So stop reading that, and come down here and play with your cats before you give them abandonment issues. There's still an hour before you need to get back to work."

He's smiling as he sets the book down, his foliage rustling again, as if ruffled by the western wind. "If you ask, Commander, how could I refuse?"

**Author's Note:**

> Will I update this with more? It depends on my schedule, and also probably whether I keep playing Novalior or Erin, my norn Revenant, whom I love deeply.
> 
> ALSO PLEASE DON'T SPOIL ME I HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE EXPACS YET.


End file.
